Not many options out there, some aren't going to leave the team they are on, some just aren't any better than what we had.

And it's going to take time to groom a rookie QB who might not even pan out. Looking at that list, Alex might be the best one available to tie this team over until a rookie is truly ready to go. He may have been inconsistent and is definitely not the long-term solution, but he wouldn't be a bad stop-gap option until there's someone better to plug in. Too bad we've probably booed him out of town. The backlash will be vicious if they actually decide and manage to re-sign him, though it might be the best option.

It is a shame we have so many clueless, classless fans. Smith is/was a niner at heart, and loyalty is pretty rare in this age of free agency. He's not the best QB in the NFL, but he can play, especially when the OC isn't a complete idiot. He took too much of the blame for this teams lack of success. Any QB in the NFL would have struggled with the circus that has been the niners franchise for the past 8-10 years.

Not many options out there, some aren't going to leave the team they are on, some just aren't any better than what we had.

And it's going to take time to groom a rookie QB who might not even pan out. Looking at that list, Alex might be the best one available to tie this team over until a rookie is truly ready to go. He may have been inconsistent and is definitely not the long-term solution, but he wouldn't be a bad stop-gap option until there's someone better to plug in. Too bad we've probably booed him out of town. The backlash will be vicious if they actually decide and manage to re-sign him, though it might be the best option.

It is a shame we have so many clueless, classless fans. Smith is/was a niner at heart, and loyalty is pretty rare in this age of free agency. He's not the best QB in the NFL, but he can play, especially when the OC isn't a complete idiot. He took too much of the blame for this teams lack of success. Any QB in the NFL would have struggled with the circus that has been the niners franchise for the past 8-10 years.

It's obvious, Alex Smith has got to be one of your family members or friends. There's just no way you can keep defending this guy after 6 years of mediocre/below average football. Just open your eyes!!! Look at what Bradford is doing, with 1/3 of the talents of this offense! AS A ROOKIE!

Originally posted by dj43:I wish it were that close, but it isn't. In fact, given what Alex was able to do once Johnson took over, QB may not even be the greatest need. (well it is now that it is clear Alex has no intention of seeking to re-sign here)

This team also needs a pass rusher in a big way. The entire secondary will look a lot better if the opposing QB has only 2.5 seconds instead of 4 to find an open receiver.

It also needs a FAST WR. Crabtree, as much potential as he has, does not have the speed to stretch a defense, and Ginn just isn't reliable.

All of the good playoff teams have at least one corner that is close to a "shutdown" guy. The 49ers don't.

That is 4 MAJOR needs that must be solved, and that assumes that some current combination will resolve the problem at RG.

And we haven't even begun to see light in the FO mess.

No, my friends, this franchise is still a long way from what it once was.

Yet, hope springs eternal.

WR
Crabtree and Ginn don't run routes well and drop more passes than is reasonable.
Morgan is starting because he's a good blocker (ala the Singletary factor). Neither starting WR has speed. Hole at No. 1 WR.
OL
Anthony Davis can't handle speed rushers. He should be moved to RG. It's time to trade Rachal. Hole at OT (again).
RB
Gore is hurt. He doesn't have breakaway speed. Teams can crowd the line when he's in there. Norris even blocked poorly this season. Westbrook is injury-prone. Dixon did nothing. Hole at FB.
Leaders
No offensive side leader.

DL/LB
No consistent pass rush. Hole at DE/OLB.
Secondary
Because Nate Clements is slow, he takes risks and is an easy mark on feints, double moves, HB passes, etc. He's kept his job as CB because of his success with Larry Fitzgerald. He is also teaching his risky behavior to Tarrell Brown and others. He should be cut or forced to move to safety. Goldson, Mays and Smith failed at safety. At least one hole at CB and Safety.

Not many options out there, some aren't going to leave the team they are on, some just aren't any better than what we had.

And it's going to take time to groom a rookie QB who might not even pan out. Looking at that list, Alex might be the best one available to tie this team over until a rookie is truly ready to go. He may have been inconsistent and is definitely not the long-term solution, but he wouldn't be a bad stop-gap option until there's someone better to plug in. Too bad we've probably booed him out of town. The backlash will be vicious if they actually decide and manage to re-sign him, though it might be the best option.

It is a shame we have so many clueless, classless fans. Smith is/was a niner at heart, and loyalty is pretty rare in this age of free agency. He's not the best QB in the NFL, but he can play, especially when the OC isn't a complete idiot. He took too much of the blame for this teams lack of success. Any QB in the NFL would have struggled with the circus that has been the niners franchise for the past 8-10 years.

It's obvious, Alex Smith has got to be one of your family members or friends. There's just no way you can keep defending this guy after 6 years of mediocre/below average football. Just open your eyes!!! Look at what Bradford is doing, with 1/3 of the talents of this offense! AS A ROOKIE!

Maybe you didn't watch the game last night, but the Seahawks took the short throw "checkdown" away and Bradford looked pretty bad. Everyone critizes Alex for checking down and playing it safe and Bradford does it all year and he is a god.

Not many options out there, some aren't going to leave the team they are on, some just aren't any better than what we had.

And it's going to take time to groom a rookie QB who might not even pan out. Looking at that list, Alex might be the best one available to tie this team over until a rookie is truly ready to go. He may have been inconsistent and is definitely not the long-term solution, but he wouldn't be a bad stop-gap option until there's someone better to plug in. Too bad we've probably booed him out of town. The backlash will be vicious if they actually decide and manage to re-sign him, though it might be the best option.

It is a shame we have so many clueless, classless fans. Smith is/was a niner at heart, and loyalty is pretty rare in this age of free agency. He's not the best QB in the NFL, but he can play, especially when the OC isn't a complete idiot. He took too much of the blame for this teams lack of success. Any QB in the NFL would have struggled with the circus that has been the niners franchise for the past 8-10 years.

It's obvious, Alex Smith has got to be one of your family members or friends. There's just no way you can keep defending this guy after 6 years of mediocre/below average football. Just open your eyes!!! Look at what Bradford is doing, with 1/3 of the talents of this offense! AS A ROOKIE!

Dude, the Rams are playing better than the niners. The Rams defense is what's carrying them. Bradford isn't playing at a pro bowl level. He's just not making mistakes and it's making him look extra good right now. Believe me, Alex Smith played pretty good this year. I can't tell you how many times, I saw him drive the entire team down the field only to have a player drop or fumble his pass. Or a coach call a stupid play. Rewind any game you've taped and just watch.

So... Who's this QB gonna be? Yall act as if it's going to be an easy task. I was thinking and Alex Smith will probably be the most sought after FA QB in 2011. Maybe Kolb what whats he proved? So be careful what you people are wishing for. This FA class kind of blows. No FA out there answers our question, and to think a rookie can come in and do it, is a far stretch.

Originally posted by dj43:I wish it were that close, but it isn't. In fact, given what Alex was able to do once Johnson took over, QB may not even be the greatest need. (well it is now that it is clear Alex has no intention of seeking to re-sign here)

This team also needs a pass rusher in a big way. The entire secondary will look a lot better if the opposing QB has only 2.5 seconds instead of 4 to find an open receiver.

It also needs a FAST WR. Crabtree, as much potential as he has, does not have the speed to stretch a defense, and Ginn just isn't reliable.

All of the good playoff teams have at least one corner that is close to a "shutdown" guy. The 49ers don't.

That is 4 MAJOR needs that must be solved, and that assumes that some current combination will resolve the problem at RG.

And we haven't even begun to see light in the FO mess.

No, my friends, this franchise is still a long way from what it once was.

Yet, hope springs eternal.

WR
Crabtree and Ginn don't run routes well and drop more passes than is reasonable.
Morgan is starting because he's a good blocker (ala the Singletary factor). Neither starting WR has speed. Hole at No. 1 WR.
OL
Anthony Davis can't handle speed rushers. He should be moved to RG. It's time to trade Rachal. Hole at OT (again).
RB
Gore is hurt. He doesn't have breakaway speed. Teams can crowd the line when he's in there. Norris even blocked poorly this season. Westbrook is injury-prone. Dixon did nothing. Hole at FB.
Leaders
No offensive side leader.

DL/LB
No consistent pass rush. Hole at DE/OLB.
Secondary
Because Nate Clements is slow, he takes risks and is an easy mark on feints, double moves, HB passes, etc. He's kept his job as CB because of his success with Larry Fitzgerald. He is also teaching his risky behavior to Tarrell Brown and others. He should be cut or forced to move to safety. Goldson, Mays and Smith failed at safety. At least one hole at CB and Safety.

The hole on the OL isn't at RT as Davis showed definite improvement over the final 5-6 games.

The hole is likely at center or guard. Heitmann is a very big question mark. Neck injuries for a center can end a career. Also, Baas is out of contract and though he played better than most expected, he was nothing special this year. Chances are 50/50 he won't be back. Even if he is, it would make more sense draft a pure center and move Baas to RG if Rachal can't get it done.

I agree with the rest of your needs although Kyle Williams still may be the answer as a kick returner.

Originally posted by JiksJuicy:So... Who's this QB gonna be? Yall act as if it's going to be an easy task. I was thinking and Alex Smith will probably be the most sought after FA QB in 2011. Maybe Kolb what whats he proved? So be careful what you people are wishing for. This FA class kind of blows. No FA out there answers our question, and to think a rookie can come in and do it, is a far stretch.

Baring a major surprise trade for a QB that can really make a difference (McNabb and Kolb do not fit that bill) the best we can hope for in free agency is someone like Tavaris Jackson or Trent Edwards. That doesn't make me feel very good at all.

I really think the niners will keep Smith and Draft a QB like Kellem Moore or even trade up for Andrew Luck. I'm telling you, they need to do something like that to keep the fans interested and buying tickets if they want that stadium.

Originally posted by MrCrab49ers:Its frustrating. The 49ers are just as talented as those teams that made the playoffs. 49ers have enough talent on offense, defense and special teams to be one of the elite teams. Just need a veteran QB like McNabb or Kolb and a offensive minded coach to make it all come together.

No sir, this club needs much more than just a HC and QB. Check out statman's thread aboiut this club's record versus good teams. It's abysmal.

Sure, HC and QB are the most important positions to upgrade. But consider these other weak links:

inexperienced OC, incapable of game-planning with match-up advantages and incapable of making in-game adjustments on the fly.
insufficient speed and quickness at the CB positions.
no playmaker at safety.
no feared pass rushers at the LB position.
a failed experiment at RG.
an impotent OL on 4th and 1.
WR's who struggle to get separation
an aging PK, RB, TED LB
a starting LT who can only play 8 games a year (both 2009 and 2010).
lack of better replacements for free agent starters who will likely be gone before the 2011 season: (Lawson, Goldson, Franklin, Heitmann (injury), Baas, Westbrook, A. Smith, T. Smith, possibly Gore (injury), Spikes and/or Nedney (injury)

I think we were a good QB and a good coach away from making the playoffs this season. We would have won at least 3 or 4 more games. Yea, the O-Line was bad, we had no pass rush, and our DBs weren't that good, but I believe a good QB and a good coach would have over came all that.

Not many options out there, some aren't going to leave the team they are on, some just aren't any better than what we had.

And it's going to take time to groom a rookie QB who might not even pan out. Looking at that list, Alex might be the best one available to tie this team over until a rookie is truly ready to go. He may have been inconsistent and is definitely not the long-term solution, but he wouldn't be a bad stop-gap option until there's someone better to plug in. Too bad we've probably booed him out of town. The backlash will be vicious if they actually decide and manage to re-sign him, though it might be the best option.

It is a shame we have so many clueless, classless fans. Smith is/was a niner at heart, and loyalty is pretty rare in this age of free agency. He's not the best QB in the NFL, but he can play, especially when the OC isn't a complete idiot. He took too much of the blame for this teams lack of success. Any QB in the NFL would have struggled with the circus that has been the niners franchise for the past 8-10 years.

It's obvious, Alex Smith has got to be one of your family members or friends. There's just no way you can keep defending this guy after 6 years of mediocre/below average football. Just open your eyes!!! Look at what Bradford is doing, with 1/3 of the talents of this offense! AS A ROOKIE!

You can't count on drafting another Bradford. Sure, Luck might be the real deal, but a guy who's been around the block a few times and can fill in with an 80 QB rating might be the best we can hope for in the short-term. Obviously, we need to upgrade, but looking at our options, maintaining the status quo is one hell of a lot better than the very real possibility that we might be getting even worse at the position.

Not many options out there, some aren't going to leave the team they are on, some just aren't any better than what we had.

And it's going to take time to groom a rookie QB who might not even pan out. Looking at that list, Alex might be the best one available to tie this team over until a rookie is truly ready to go. He may have been inconsistent and is definitely not the long-term solution, but he wouldn't be a bad stop-gap option until there's someone better to plug in. Too bad we've probably booed him out of town. The backlash will be vicious if they actually decide and manage to re-sign him, though it might be the best option.

It is a shame we have so many clueless, classless fans. Smith is/was a niner at heart, and loyalty is pretty rare in this age of free agency. He's not the best QB in the NFL, but he can play, especially when the OC isn't a complete idiot. He took too much of the blame for this teams lack of success. Any QB in the NFL would have struggled with the circus that has been the niners franchise for the past 8-10 years.

It's obvious, Alex Smith has got to be one of your family members or friends. There's just no way you can keep defending this guy after 6 years of mediocre/below average football. Just open your eyes!!! Look at what Bradford is doing, with 1/3 of the talents of this offense! AS A ROOKIE!

Nope, he is not even my favorite niner. I want a better QB and the sooner the better. It is just people that try to say this is the only problem with the niners makes me laugh. This teams main problem is the front office and the decision made by them. We haven't had a coach that knows anything about training a QB since Mariucci. Bradford is doing okay because he has a coach that put him in a position to succeed, something that this team has lacked since 2002.

Maybe YOU should open your eyes and try to see the bigger picture instead of parroting the rhetoric of the simpleminded malcontents that troll here.

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